... does your teacher spend any time talking about and working on the mental state you want to train in?

It is not that we are looking for a certain state of mind that is
"needed" or usefull to have and then we practice, "having" or "using" this mental state.

We try to do the waza in a certain way that aims to calm the mind and to experience stillness and movement as one. So yes, sensei is talking about that. But it is the physical technique itself that is used to work not only the body but in the first place heart and mind.